“We have [had] such a big reaction to like the ending — which I won’t give away — but, I have people stopping me in the street now, giving me their opinion about the ending,” Cannavale toldSeth Meyerson Monday’s episode ofLate Night.
The Ryan Murphy-produced series chroniclesthe real-life story of the Broaddus family, who dealt with an apparent stalker after moving to a New Jersey neighborhood in 2014.
Fans previously approached Cannavale, 52, about “everything from, ‘Did we go to high school together?’ toThird Watch,Will & Grace— there’s all these different things,” the prolific actor told Meyers, 48.
But lately, he continued, viewers have been singularly focused onThe Watcherand “it’s obvious how popular this thing is.”
And Cannavale’s not the only one who’s experienced an influx of fan attention —Watcherwatchers havemade pilgrimages to the real housethat inspired the show.
The attention has been so intense that town police officers are stationed outside of the home to monitor trespassers, and yellow caution tape now lines the edge of the property. A barricade was also placed at the front of the driveway.
Eric Liebowitz/Netflix
During his appearance onLate Night,Cannavale offered his take on why the story of the Broaddus family — which was originally shared in a 2018New Yorkmagazinearticle — resonates “with people on some level.”
“I think Ryan Murphy, who’s sort of very good at having his finger on the zeitgeist, just thought, ‘You know that would be a good idea to make a show about it,'” he explained.
“But how he initially approached me about it — it was during COVID — and he was like, ‘I don’t know about you, man, but COVID made feel really powerless to protect my family.’ And I think for him, it was more of an allegorical thing to tell the story in the guise of it’s about a house and getting these letters, but really it’s about fear and it’s about people being unable to control what they can’t control,” he added. “And I think that’s what people respond to.”
Michael Kovac/Getty
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Season 1 ofThe Watcher, which was just renewed for two more seasons, is available to stream in full on Netflix.
source: people.com
